Improved amalgamator



- A. B. PAUL.

Ore Amalgamator- Patented Aug. 27, 1861.

NrTEn STATES ALMARIN B. PAUL, OF NEVADA, CALIFORNIA'.

IMPROVED AMALGAVIATOR.

Specification forming part ci' Letters Patent No. 33,159, dated August27,1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMARIN B. PAUL, of Nevada, in the county of Nevadaand State of California, have invented a new and Improved Machine forAmalgamating Gold and Silver; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beiughadto the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure lis aside sectional View of my invention, taken in the line w x,Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken inthe line 1/ y, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan or top View of the same. Fig. 4is a detached inverted plan of a portion ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of a reciprocating boxprovided with a double inclined bottom having an amalgamated surface anda chamber at the inner ends of the two inclines,which also has anamalgamated surface; and using, in connection with the above, a seriesof pendent amalgamated plates,

or plates having amalgamated surfaces, which are secured to anamalgamated surface and project down over the chamber at the inner endsof the two inclines which form the bottom of the table or box, all beingarranged and used with a sieve or screen, to operate as hereinafterdescribed.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and constructmyiuvention, Iwill proceed to describe it. t

A is an oblong box, the sides of which have slotted projections aattaehed,whieh are tted on guides or plates b, attached horizontally toa frame, B. The boX A has a reciprocating movement communicated to it bymeans of a crank and connecting-rod, B, or other suitable device. Thebox A has a double inclined bottom formed by two inclines, cc,projecting downward from their outer to their inner ends, the inner endsbeing connected to a concave or chamber, d, as shown clearly in Fig. l.The upper surfaces of the inclines c c and chamber d are mereurializedor amalgamated, and if a wooden box be used amalgamated plates areattached to the upper surfaces of the inclines and chamber d. Thechamber l is provided with a plug or cock, e, and within the box,directly over the chamber, there is placed a traversepiece, C, the underside of which has an amalgamated surface,from which a series ofamalgamated plates, f, project in quincunx form, as shown in Fig. 4.These plates f may be of a straight iiat piece, as indicated at l inFig. 4, or they may be bent in trilateral form, as shown at 2 in saidfigure. The under side of the traverse-piece G may be of convex formcorresponding inversely to the chamber d, as shown in Fig. l, or it mayhave a plane surface. rIhe former would perhaps be preferable. One sideof the traverse piece C has a curved back or side, D, which projectsupward and backward, as shown clearly in Fig. l, and extends the wholewidth of the traverse-piece, as shown in Fig. 4.

E is a sieve or screen which is fitted in the upper part of the box A,and may extend the whole length of the latter or over a portion only. Inthe drawings, Figs. l and 3, it is represented as extending the fulllength of the box.

At the end of the incline c, at the front end of the box A, there is adischarge opening or slot, g.

The pulp is admitted on the back end of the screen, the latterpreventing the coarse foreign substances from passing through, the pulppassing down through the screen and coming in contact with theamalgamated surface of the bottom of the box. The reciprocating movementof the box soon precipitates the heavier substances,and gold being theheaviest substance, it quickly reaches the mercurialized or amalgamatedsurface and is amalgamated, the amalgam tending toward the center of thebottom or to chamber d, in which it settles, said chamber being chargedwith quicksilver. rlhe amalgamated pendants f cause a thorough contactof the dbris or pulp with the amalf gamated surfaces-that is to say, inconsequence of the quincunX position the debris or pulp, as it passesthrough the box, has every particle broughtin contact with anamalgamated surface, and the gold which the dbris contains is therebycaught, amalgamated, and `retained. It will be understood that thetraverse-piece C has not an independent movemeut. It moves only with thebox, and it may be secured in proper position by buttons or other means.The curved back or side D of the traverse-piece C serves to prevent theclogging or choking of the box. It'produees a reaction orv agitation ofthe pulp as the latter passes through the box. This back or side alsohas an amalgamated surface. The plug or cock e admits of the quicksilverbeing-withdrawn from the Chamber d,when required and also admits of thecleansing of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The reciprocating box A, provided with a double inclined bottom, c c,and chamber d,

having amalgamated surfaces, in Connection v

